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How not to fill in an application for an MBA course
US blog Baseline Scenario has unearthed a piece of content on McSweeney’s, the US site run by author Dave Eggers. Titled ‘An investment banking analyst falls back on plan B,’ it pertains to an application to Law School. Given people don’t really do law school after banking in EMEA, imagine it’s an MBA application instead. [...]
Don’t worry – Dubai doesn’t spell doom for jobs in South Africa
The crisis in Dubai has been a mere blip for South Africa. After the initial negative impact, common to all emerging markets, the rand strengthened, markets rallied and sentiment turned positive again. The indirect effects, if anything, have been positive. The price of gold has shot up over the $1,200/oz mark, partly as a reflection [...]
Opportunities at South Africa’s Reserve Bank
It’s been a baptism of fire for Gill Marcus, the first woman to become Governor of South Africa’s Reserve Bank (SARB). Days after taking over from the well-respected Tito Mboweni this week she had to preside over an MPC meeting and fend off insistent requests from the Unions for a rate cut. The Bank decided [...]
GUEST COMMENT: 10 questions you need to know how to answer before an interview in IBD
Most corporate finance graduate hirers will consider candidates from all academic backgrounds, but what they will expect is a basic understanding of finance and the corporate finance industry. In my opinion, these are the top ten questions you’ll need to prepare for before attending an interview for a corporate finance graduate role. 1. What is [...]
A Q&A with the king of quants
We asked quantitative finance overlord Paul Wilmott what the future holds for quants following the financial crisis. Are their services still required? And if he weren’t putting his quant skills to use in the financial sector, where would he be applying them instead? 1) Given exotic structured products are no longer the hot topic they [...]
Accountants’ shortage a problem for South Africa
The problem is not new, but it is no closer to being solved. South Africa needs more qualified accountants, to the tune of 22,000, according to the the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica). “There is a huge demand for, and a chronic undersupply of, chartered accountants,” says Niteske Marshall, director of Network Finance, a [...]
GUEST COMMENT: I am sailing the world in a super yacht
The banking profession’s credibility and worth have been heavily scrutinized recently, so you may be considering your options. However, what profession can compete with such lucrative pay? After a stint in London, wearing the mandatory pastel shirt and dark suit, compacting myself into the stifling tube and acquiring a vitamin D deficiency, I have returned [...]
Salaries frozen, but tax specialists the exception
It is all change for corporate tax in South Africa: Finance minister Pravin Gordhan, until recently head of the SA Revenue Service, has announced an overhaul of the tax system with a soon-to-be approved new Tax Act. He has also declared war on tax avoidance schemes such as the use of dividend income funds by [...]
Crazy interview questions and how to answer them
US blog site Business Insider has elicited crazy questions asked to candidates who’ve interviewed at Google. Separately, readers of the site have sent in suggested answers. As many of the questions are similar, if not identical, to the more obtuse questions favoured by investment banks, we’ve published a few of them, and the suggested responses, [...]
“Big Four” still hiring in South Africa
The recession is biting, the number of jobless South Africans is rising and all surveys point to a worsening of the employment outlook in the next few months. Despite this negative backdrop, recruiters say that South Africa’s “big four” banks – Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, First Rand – continue to hire, in marked contrast to [...]
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